The
next morning some rose to a hearty breakfast in the cafe and some
day-old news. Others had a snack from the Country Store then
off on the 25 mile trip back to look at two more site possibilities.

8.8 miles from Lodge to Park; 16.8 miles to site.

How would you make this trip on Mars?

Based
on the notes written by Brian from several weeks before, we climbed
down into a basin to try to locate the spot he was describing.

It soon became apparent that a lot of thawing had been going on
in this area. Some of the snowpacks were now dirt.

The
team found the very spot that Brian had written about and, though
the snow was gone, the red algae remained.

Chris pulled out a magnifier and began to study the algae on the
rock. While Jen and her assistant, Margarita determined the exact
spot that was shown on Brian's maps.

What tools might you need to use to explore Mars?

Jen
compares the algae on the rocks and in the snowpack and then
jots down some notes on her findings.

Don't forget a way to record your findings on you trip to Mars!

Do you think you could dress like Jen while exploring on Mars?

This site was beginning to look very good, because it was open
but not traveled heavily by park visitors. A big question is where
the instruments can be placed to be protected from the weather
and from curious people and animals. Above this basin and across
the road rose a craggy area that look ideal. Also, special care
needs to be taken to not disturb the natural state of the park.

Some of the team climbed up to check it out while Chris "established
a 2 meter mark" for them to use as reference.

We had
one more site to check out and climbed up a hill close to the base
of Lassen Peak.

Chris shows us the easiest way to get back down the hill!

Decision
time is here. Time to consult with Park Ranger Steve Zachary to
verify that the details observed would be constant for placing
the instruments. The consensus was that the second site was the
best, and Margarita begins putting on more sunscreen to hike
up Lassen Peak.

So what
do explorers do when they've finished their work? They do more
exploring. In this beautiful setting, and at the encouragement
of Steve Zachary, most of the team decided to climb Lassen Peak.

Our first returner was Bill who seemed grateful for the cold drink
that had been waiting in the snow. The rest came down in good time.

At
this point, the science team waved good by to the education team
and headed back to NASA Ames Research Center. The Ames Educational
Technology Team remained behind to locate an ideal spot for viewing
Lassen panoramically with the hopes of bringing you some extra
chances to "be here."

Would you have the option to return home after two days of scouting
for sites to study? How could you do some of that scouting before
arriving at Mars?

There was still some daylight left so the eduation team went
to Reflection Lake and took photos of Lassen Peak reflected in
the lake. What a photogenic place this park is!